Drip catcher



" Feb 15,1927. I 1,617,968

' C.W.YSPICER I DRIP CATGHER Filed June 29, 1926 transmissions of-' motor vehicles is well known. In'man'yinstances where such velnclesarekept in private garages on the owntheir use is limited because they are 'quicl'rly' Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

CHARLES w. sriona, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND;

Dn r oAT cHER.

I Applicationfi1et1 June29, 1926. Serial 1%. 119,277.

The inconvenience incident'to the dripping of 011* and grease from the pans and er s" premises, the majority such garages having'a concrete or smooth hard floor, it is considered of great importance that the floor should be kept scrupulously clean, both on accountof the appearance and in order thatthe owner, chauffeur or in some instances Y the repairman may inspect or work on the car from beneath without the inconvenience necessary to protect hisclothes from oil and grease dropped on the floor; s

The'necessity for such protectionin public garages and repair shops is even greater,

a'spatrons object to the presence of grease on the floor on account of injury to tires and shoes, the danger of'slipping and the tendencyto track it into automobiles and residences. In'repair shops it is very important to .keep the floor cleanon account of the a necessity for getting under machines being repaired; v I I Var1ous wide shallow drip pans have been used,.but these are found undesirable and destroyed when they 'are'run over by the difficulties are overcome. -t1vely large area so as to catch the drip. from all the various, sources of'o l, grease;

wheels o f the machine, also to be completely effective they are necessarily of quite a large area and correspondingly heavy and diflicult to empty.-

The present invention relates to-a drip catching device by which [these various It 15 of comparaand gasolene in such a machine, and is at the Sametime so limited as to Weight that it can bemoved without difficulty and further it does not requireemptying after the man her of the usual dr p pan, as; the elementwhich catches the drip is newspaper or other waste paper which is gathered up to enclose the grease and burned or otherwise conveniently destroyed. The device consists of a paper holding frame or clamp of sufiicient area to under- I he allthe' points fromwhich oil and grease areapt todrip.-, This frame or-clamp-lies I so fiat. on the floor that it is" supported throi'ighont-against bending so that it'is not injuredwhen run overand in the interestiof simplicity it: is gravity closed dispensing with the complications incident to; springs and fastenings.

In the accompanying drawing 1 have il-' lustrated. axdri'p catching device embody-mg the-features of' my invention in the'preferred form.

I In the drawing: a

Figure l is aplan of the frame enclosing a double'sheet of newspaper ready for operationas a drip catcher. 1 i i 1 Figure 2 is aside view of thesam'e. I F igure 3 is an. endvievvt sliow theupper portion of the clamp raised toadmit or release the papers.

-Beferrin'g to thedrawings by numerals,

each'of which: is used-"to indicate the same or s milar parts in the d fferent figures,the apparatus as shown comprises a paperholder consisting of a plurality of elongatedi frames. I

l and 2' of equal size and .ii'de l l tical shape, as seen in'the plan,' so that the top frame 1. overlies and hides, tl1e. plan view, tlie lower frame 2 These frame 'meinb'ers 'or Figure 4 is a side elevationshowingthe I lower portion of an automobile thedrip catcher being placed under the machinein the operait-ve position. The dotted,,lines clamps f1 and 23 are connected togetherat one end or sidesbyhingesl 3+4, swing about their ends, one I toward and from the other, and the frames are so constructed that they present each toward the other correspending registering flat surfaces 6 and 7 on the upper and lower framesrespectively, which when the clamping frames are closed,

the upper frame'being preferably helddown I V bygravity, come in close contact.) The upper frame being raised or swung upwardly a newspaper'or other large sheetof paper is,

placed between the frames with the edges overlying the contacting surfaces 7 and clamped between the frames when the upper frame is lowered into position I 7 As the frames are of cons derable size and, therefore, of appreciab.le. weight the upper frame is. conveniently held in position by gravity, no spring or fastening 'being necessary.

Then thepaper 10, three sheets: being shown in Figure isplaced between the. clamping members or frames, the contacting surfaces 6 and 7 oftheframesengaging the gentire edge portion aroundthe complete cir- I cumference ofthe paper, the paper is held '7 extended substantially in a flathorizontal P plane and may. be moved and placed beneath the portion of the machine which drips grease and oil so that the floor requires protection in this way. The floor'is thus protected against grease, the paper being held against displacement by wind or any other agency until it is desired to remove it to dispose of the accumulated grease when the paper is gathered together about the grease and burned, disposing of the paper and waste grease simultaneously.

The frames are most conveniently and cheaply made of'fiat strips 11 of sheet metal oifsetat .the ends at 12 and riveted'at the corner at 14. The strips may to advantage be identical as to all dimensions, being stamped out by means of a'single die or jig, all parts'being interchangeable.

' An important advantage of the invention is, of course, the protection of the floor so that it will not accumulate grease which not only interferes with working on the machine from'beneath, but is-apt to be carried on theshoes of the passengers or operator of the vehicle into machine or residence where it injures and disfigures rugs, carpets, floors, etc. The invention "described provides a cheap and convenient means for overcoming this difliculty.

I have thus described specifically and in.

detail a single embodiment of my invention in order that 'the nature and operation of the same may be'clearly' understood, however, the specific terms herein are used descriptively rather than in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims. V 'VVhat I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

- *1. drip catching device: for motor ve- 7 hicles consisting of a weight comprising aplurality of registering frames adapted to 1 lie flat on the floor beneath the machine and to hold a sheet of paper extended to protect the floor, and a hinge connecting the frames at one side. i

2. A drip catching device for motor vehicles to lie flat on the floor beneath the machine, the same comprising a sheet of paper and a weight to hold the paper in horizontal position 'on the floor, the same consisting of plurality of registering frames all drip catching device for motor ve- 4 hicles comprising a weight to hold a sheet of newspaper, the same consisting of a plurality of cooperatlng registering frames connected together at one side to swing toward and from each other, the frames being adapted to lie flat on the floor in a horizontal plane, and the device being closed by grav ity to clamp the sheet of paper between the frames.

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland,

this 28 day of June 1926.

- CHARLES w. sPioER. 

